What to Do If You Break a Tooth: A Step-by-Step Emergency Guide

Accidents happen in the blink of an eye. Whether you’ve hit something hard, suffered a sports injury, or had an old filling fall out, realizing you have a broken tooth can be a shocking and stressful experience.

When structural damage occurs, it’s completely normal to look for immediate solutions. However, trying to fix a broken tooth at home or attempting to repair it naturally can lead to dangerous complications. Teeth do not regenerate or heal on their own; they require professional dental care.

If you’re facing a dental emergency, at Appleday Dental Care we’ll explain what to do if you have a broken tooth—from the moment the accident happens until you can visit your trusted dental clinic.

** This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace a professional evaluation

What should I do immediately if I break a tooth?

If you break a tooth, your immediate priority should be to protect your mouth from further injury and manage any sudden discomfort.

Step 1: Rinse your mouth

Rinse your mouth immediately with lukewarm water to clean the area and remove any small pieces of the tooth that you might accidentally swallow or choke on.

Step 2: Save the fragments

You should immediately schedule an emergency appointment by calling (905) 785-3439. If the broken piece of the tooth was a crown, please bring it with you to your appointment.

Step 3: Protect your tongue and cheeks

A fractured tooth can leave sharp edges. To prevent cuts to your gums, tongue, or cheek, it’s helpful to know how to use dental wax to protect a broken tooth. Apply a small piece of clean dental wax or even sugar-free gum over the sharp edge to act as a temporary shield.

Dental wax to cover a broken tooth is a good option; you can find it over the counter at most pharmacies in Mississauga. However, remember that this is only a temporary safety measure to prevent cuts to soft tissues; it does not repair the underlying structural damage.

How can you manage pain without putting your health at risk?

A cracked tooth can expose the internal nerves, which are very sensitive, causing intense throbbing pain. You may feel pain when lying down due to increased blood pressure in the head.

If you need to know how to relieve the pain of a cracked tooth or how to safely manage the pain while waiting for your emergency appointment, follow these recommendations:

Take over-the-counter pain relievers

Common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain, provided you are not allergic to them.

Use topical anesthetic gels

If the nerve is exposed, you can apply a local anesthetic gel to the fracture to temporarily alleviate the most intense pain.

Apply a cold compress

Placing an ice pack wrapped in a cloth on the outside of your cheek for 15 minutes can significantly reduce the pain from the broken tooth and facial swelling.

Why is it important to avoid home remedies?

The internet is full of dangerous advice on DIY dentistry. Searches like “how to extract a broken tooth at home,” “how to remove the root of a broken tooth at home,” or “how to extract a broken tooth from the gum” carry catastrophic medical risks.

Attempting to extract a tooth or manipulate a broken root at home can lead to:

Serious systemic infections: Opening deep gum tissue outside a sterile environment can introduce bacteria directly into the bloodstream.
Permanent nerve damage: Tooth roots are located very close to major facial nerves. A mistake can cause permanent facial numbness.
Jaw fractures: Broken teeth, especially wisdom teeth or molars, often have complex root structures that can fracture the jaw if extracted incorrectly.

Similarly, attempting to figure out how to glue a broken dental crown back together or using hardware store adhesives is toxic and can permanently damage the underlying tooth structure, making it impossible for a professional to save it later.

How We Handle Dental Emergencies at Appleday Dental Care

When you arrive at our clinic, our primary goal is to relieve your pain immediately and assess how much healthy tooth structure remains. Depending on the depth and location of the fracture, we offer several advanced clinical solutions:

Dental Bonding or Veneers

For small fractures or chips affecting the front teeth, dental bonding with tooth-colored composite resin can restore your smile in a single visit. If the damage is cosmetic but extensive, a custom porcelain veneer can flawlessly replace the front surface.

Custom Dental Crowns

If the fracture is large but the root is intact, can a crown be placed on a broken tooth? Absolutely. A dental crown acts like a custom-made protective glove that completely covers the damaged tooth above the gumline, restoring its ability to chew and its natural appearance.

Root Canal Treatment

If the fracture extends into the pulp chamber, where the nerves are located, you will likely experience severe pain. In these cases, we perform a root canal to clean out the damaged nerve, save the tooth, and reinforce it with a core build-up and a crown.

Surgical Extractions (as a last resort)

If you have a tooth fractured at the gum line, our team will take digital X-rays to assess whether the root can be saved. If the root is completely fractured or structurally compromised, a careful, sterile surgical extraction is performed. Afterward, we can discuss the possibility of permanently replacing the lost tooth with a dental implant or a high-quality bridge.

Don’t wait: Contact Appleday Dental Care immediately. Ignoring a fractured tooth because it doesn’t hurt yet is a significant risk. An open fracture allows bacteria to directly access the pulp chamber, turning a simple and inexpensive dental repair into a serious and painful long-term infection.

If you or a loved one has chipped a tooth, avoid dangerous home remedies. Contact Appleday Dental Care immediately to schedule an emergency appointment. Our compassionate team will protect your smile, relieve your pain, and safely restore your oral health.